Image: Melbourne Fringe Festival website
Neo Radio puts a cabaret spin on popular contemporary music in this production of La Petite Mort. This Melbourne Fringe Festival show sees a talented cast of seven weaving a light-hearted murder mystery around pop hits to create an evening of intrigue and adventure.
The action takes place on the set of a radio play, with the actors clutching scripts and stepping up to the mic to perform their scenes. We follow a bumbling Private Investigator (Sam Qualtrough)as he attempts to solve a murder mystery with the help of able assistant Lily. Pretty-in-pink Lily (Suzanne Barton) lets the audience in on her crush on the Private Investigator with beautiful renditions of Taylor Swift’s Blank Space and Keane’s Somewhere only we know.
Murder suspect Carmen (Yvette Hearn) is deliciously evil in her role as wannabe husband killer. She belts out tunes that work surprisingly well with a cabaret twist, including P!nk’s Trouble and Amy Winehouse’s Me and Mr Jones. However, the real treat is when our two leading ladies, Carmen and Lily, join forces. Their voices harmonise to create spine-tingling perfection.
Qualtrough’s voice is also in fine form and his lack of effectiveness as a Private Investigator is more than made up for by his fine work with pieces such as Nick Cave’s Red Right Hand and Tina Arena’s Chains. Both Carmen and the Private Investigator are framed for the murder of Carmen’s husband and it’s up to the ever-resourceful Lily to rescue them from prison.
The storyline is tongue-in-cheek and only tenuously progresses the performers from song to song, but that’s all part of the charm. Frankly, storyline or no storyline, this is a gem of a performance. The vocals are brilliant and the choice of songs is eclectic yet effective.
The singers are supported by a live jazz band which provides seamless accompaniment for our star performers. A grumpy Announcer character compères the show with impressive deadpan style. Until a surprise plot development towards the end of the performance, the highlight of his character’s evening seems to be playing backing music with a chorus of squeaky animal toys.
The cosy stage setting lends itself well to a radio studio environment, and the 40s-style costuming is impeccable.
The audience is guaranteed a rollicking good time in this energetic and delightfully silly whodunit that is bound to please even the most reluctant of theatregoers. The only disappointment is that La Petite Mort is over far too soon.
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
La Petite Mort
Featuring: Sam Qualtrough, Yvette Hearn, Suzanne Barton, Aaron Searle, Paul David-Goddard
The Butterfly Club, Melbourne
22-27 September
Melbourne Fringe Festival
www.melbournefringe.com.au
16 September – 4 October
